Voice of the Diabetic

Voice of the Diabetic

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FOOD FOR THOUGHT

We invite blurbs and tidbit articles for inclusion in this column. Materials

received may be edited and used as space permits. Products and services included

in this column are for information only and do not imply endorsement by the

Diabetes Action Network of the NFB.

A New Arrival

On March 21, 2001, Federationists Tom and Eileen Rivera Ley

became parents. Tom is a former president of our Diabetes Action Network, and

Eileen is our VOICE OF THE DIABETIC National Advertising Sales Manager. JonCarlos

Rivera Ley was 21.5 inches at birth, and weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces. Congratulations

to all!

Oral Insulin Research

We're all waiting for the day an insulin-using diabetic can take a dose without

needing to inject their insulin under the skin. Nobody loves needles, and many

initiatives are underway to develop an insulin that can be swallowed or inhaled.

Although Pfizer's Exubera insulin, formulated to be inhaled

(much like an asthma medication), has run into some difficulties, several oral

insulins are moving forward. Oralin, from Generex, and compounds from Emisphere

Technologies are both reported as successful in early clinicals. It's a long

way to go yet, but the syringe's days may well be numbered.

Inhaled Insulin Troubles

Pfizer's Exubera inhalable insulin has been in clinicals, and

the company was intending to file for FDA approval later this year. That is

now on hold. Exubera, intended for use with devices manufactured by Inhale Therapeutics,

works, it lowers blood sugars efficiently and consistently—but it has shown

some side effects, like a 4x increase in antibodies against insulin, and one

case of lung scarring. Accordingly, Pfizer has announced it will delay filing

its marketing approval application, and try to solve these problems first.

To Our Readers

To hold down costs, both the VOICE and many of our divisional

mailings are sent via “bulk mail.” When we have your current address,

this works very well; but when we don't, the Post Office throws it away, or

returns it to us with a hefty “postage due” attached. They do NOT

automatically forward bulk mail!

If you move, please let us know promptly. If the VOICE doesn't

follow you to your new address, we may not have your new address. Don't miss

a single issue.

Marriage Announcement

On July 14, 2001, Eric Woods, our Diabetes Action Network's

First Vice President, who is also Second Vice President of the NFB of Colorado

Denver Chapter, married fellow Federationist Lori Willard. Congratulations to

Eric, and to the new Mrs. Lori Woods!

Fat In Your Diet

We already know that eating too much fat can increase your risk for diabetes

and its complications. A new study, appearing in the September issue of Archives

of Ophthalmology, warns that dietary fat can also lead to age-related macular

degeneration, the biggest producer of new blindness in Americans 65 years of

age and older. A multicenter study, led by Johanna Seddon, MD, from Harvard

Medical School, found that excess dietary fat builds up in capillaries, and

can cause vision loss. She describes the study's findings as suggesting that

a long-term high-fat diet can cause a two-fold increase in the risk of macular

degeneration. The time to change junk-food eating habits is now, study authors

warn. “Macular degeneration is a 30-40 year process; dietary and lifestyle

changes have to be made at an early age.”

2001 Raffle Winners

At the keynote banquet for the 2001 annual convention of the

National Federation of the Blind, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the winning

ticket was drawn in the Diabetes Action Network raffle. Winning ticketholder

was Ken Staley, of Chicago, Illinois, who won twice, because he also sold the

most raffle tickets.

Lots of people helped sell tickets, and the following folks

each sold 50 or more. In descending order of tickets sold: Ken Staley; Debbie

Weston, Brighton, MI; John Stroot, of Clinton, IN; Gisela Distel, of Albany,

NY; Karen Mayry, from Rapid City, SD; Billie Weaver, of Springfield, MO; Ed

Bryant, from Columbia, MO; Sally York, from Castro Valley, CA; Bill Yates, of

Bakersfield, CA; and Wayne Lyons, from Mitchell, SD. Truly a winning performance—See

you next time!

New Insulin

Novo Nordisk announces availability of its new Novolog rapid-acting

insulin. Faster than Regular insulin, Novolog is available in U100 vials, and

in cartridges for the NovoPen 3. Available at your pharmacist, by prescription

only.

Banquet Address

This year, at our National Federation of the Blind annual convention in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania, NFB president Dr. Marc Maurer gave the banquet address, titled

“Independence and the

Necessity for Diplomacy.” This address is available, free of charge,

in large print or audiocassette. This speech, and others by President

Maurer and Dr. Jernigan (and much more!), are available from the National Federation

of the Blind Materials Center, 1800 Johnson Street, Baltimore, MD 21230; telephone:

(410) 659-9314, open 8:00 to 5 pm. EST, weekdays.

New Diabetes Action Network Board

At this year's NFB national convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,

elections were held for the 2001-2002 Diabetes Action Network Board. Here are

the results:

President: Ed Bryant, Columbia, MO.

First Vice President: Eric Woods, Denver, CO

Second Vice President: Sandie Addy, Prescott Valley, AZ

Secretary: Dawnelle Cruze, Portsmouth, VA

Treasurer: Bruce Peters, Akron, OH

Board Members: Paul Price, Valley Center, CA, and Sally York,

Castro Valley, CA

Note: Gisela Distel, from Albany, NY, also won election to our

board, but, sadly, she died on August 3 (see accompanying article).

We congratulate our new board!

Remembering Gisela Distel

by Ed Bryant

On August 3, 2001, Gisela Distel, a member of our Diabetes Action

Network National Board, died of a heart attack. She was a friend, and she will

be missed. She did a lot for our network, and for the National Federation of

the Blind. She'd been president of the NFB of New York state, and she'd held

many other leadership positions. Caring and devoted, she was always willing

to help, especially with fundraising.

Gisela's husband David asks that any memorial donations in her

name be given to diabetes research.

Aspirin and Diabetes Research

The ability of aspirin, in large doses, to lower blood sugars,

has been known for more than a century. Unfortunately, it has been known just

as long that the dose of aspirin high enough to cause useful blood glucose reduction

is far above the safety threshold, and can cause very serious side effects.

Today, researchers from Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston are researching just

what it is about aspirin, and about its chemical class, the salycilates, that

enables it to have blood glucose lowering properties. It may someday be possible

to isolate the elements useful to diabetes treatment, and create new drugs free

from the hazards of aspirin overdose. Stay tuned; there are many such initiatives

underway, and we'll report them as we hear of them.

Thank You! Thank You!

To all of you who responded to our recent donations drive, an

enormous THANK YOU! It costs more than $300,000 per year to publish VOICE OF

THE DIABETIC, the principal communication tool of our Diabetes Action Network.

Through the generosity of the National Federation of the Blind, we offer subscriptions

without charge; but our advertising income covers only a portion of production

costs, so we depend on YOU, our readers, to help us keep on carrying our message

to more diabetics, family members, health professionals, and individuals with

an interest in the condition. As our circulation has now grown beyond 295,000,

our need for your assistance grows more acute. Twice a year we send out requests

for donations. To those of you who responded—Thank You again!

Articles Needed

If you have diabetes, are a family member or friend of a diabetic,

or a health professional with an interest in diabetes, we invite you to submit

an article for publication in the VOICE OF THE DIABETIC.

Our philosophy regarding diabetes is positive. Do you have an

inspiring, enlightening story? We, the Diabetes Action Network of the National

Federation of the Blind, seek to show people they are not alone, and do have

options, regardless of diabetic complications. If you have experienced ramifications,

others, who may be facing the same side-effects, could benefit from what you

have to say.

Perhaps you have not experienced complications—your unique

insight, coping strategies, and lifestyle can still inspire others. Are you

a relative, a friend, or a health professional? More than 295,315 VOICE readers

could benefit from your story.

For information and article submission guidelines, contact:

VOICE OF THE DIABETIC, 1412 I-70 Drive, Suite C, Columbia, MO 65203; telephone:

(573) 875-8911.

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